Have you ever bought a cantaloupe, only to find out it wasn't ripe? If you're tired of guessing and ending up with disappointing melons, here's how to pick the perfect cantaloupe every time.
With a few simple tips, you'll be confident in your choice and never go home with an unripe one again.
Whenever you're shopping for cantaloupes the very first thing you can do is to look for a stem, or more precisely the lack of a stem. In most cases, you shouldn't see the stem on the cantaloupes because most of the canteloupe varieties are of the 'slip' type.
This means when ripe, they soften up and easily "slip" off the vine from a light tug leaving an indent. Thus, except for a few cultivars, there is no reason for a ripe cantaloupe to retain its stems.
Luckily, all the cantaloupes in the store do not have any vines which will make it easier for you to identify ripe cantaloupes. Or, depending on your point of view you could also be considered unlucky because none of them are long shelf-life cantaloupe cultivars and thus won't last a month without refrigeration.
To check the ripeness of stemless cantaloupes, take a look at the indentations. The indentations should be an innie and not an outie. What that means is that the scar on the indentation should be going inwards. The deeper, the better.
Another way to check for ripeness is to smell the blossom end, i.e. the end of the cantaloupe which is opposite from the side containing the stem end. Place the blossom just under your nose and take a whiff. You should smell a sweet, floral, and musky aroma which indicates the cantaloupe is ripe.
Sometimes you can get the smell without having to smell the bottom. If it doesn’t have a scent, chances are it's an aromaless long shelf-life cantaloupe but don't rely on just the aroma test for the long shelf-life cantaloupe.
Feel with your hands and thumb all around the cantaloupe. Cantaloupe should be firm all over except the stem and the blossom ends. Near the blossom and stem ends, if you press it gently with your thumb, it should give slightly then return to its original shape.
Cantaloupes should be firm and not give when it's not on the stem and the blossom ends otherwise it might be overripe. On the other hand, if it's hard like a watermelon all over, the cantaloupe isn't ripe and shouldn't be purchased.
Another way to check for the ripeness of a cantaloupe is to check its color. Most cultivars of ripe cantaloupe will end up having a straw, tanned yellow, or a nice golden color with a musky aroma.
Cantaloupes that are partially green or greenish are not ripe nor ready. In some cases, even if the cantaloupes have a yellow color, avoid them if they have any discoloration, mold, or bruising.
Since most produce in the market are sorted by their cultivars and not mixed together. If all the cantaloupes in your store are green all over, then it's more likely that rather than being an unripe cantaloupe they are a cultivar that doesn't lose their green even after ripening.
When running your fingers over the American cantaloupes, you should be able to feel the edges of the thick webbing of the outer skin with the blossom end being an exception as when the fruit ripens, it becomes heavier and begins to rest on the ground.
This results in a slightly different coloration and texture than the rest of the fruit due to not being exposed to the sun. Therefore, in most cases, having smooth skin despite the slight outlook of a webby texture means that it's not ripe. Furthermore, the fruit should also not be shiny.
A unique way to check for cantaloupe ripeness amongst some of our more avid readers might be to test with knocking. After all, if it can work for watermelons, why can't it work for cantaloupes too?
You're definitely right, it can! But it's also different from how you test the watermelon. Pick up the cantaloupe on your less dominant hand and knock on the rind the same way you would knock on a door.
If the knock results in a sound that is high and hollow, it would indicate a ripe watermelon, but not a ripe cantaloupe. For cantaloupe, you want a low, deep, and, solid sound.
Fruits such as cantaloupes enlarge after fertilization and end up with asymmetric and irregular shapes as a result of problems in pollination or fluctuations in watering. When fertilization is problematic or incomplete, i.e. a segment of the ovary misses out on pollination.
The plant hormones that trigger fruit growth are produced by the developing embryo. Thus, when an ova is not fertilized, they don't develop into embryos, and the area surrounding the carpel tissue is not stimulated into cell division resulting in an uneven fruit.
If you have performed the tests we have mentioned above and are slowly settling towards two or three good cantaloupes but can't decide which one to choose, if they are similarly sized, you can try comparing the weights of the two cantaloupes.
Hold both of the cantaloupes in your hands carefully then weigh them using using your hands. If the shop has a weighing machine that's even better, request the grocery clerk to weigh the cantaloupes for you and choose the heavier one.
Buying a heavier cantaloupe might be heavier on your wallet but there's a perfectly good reason for this. When cantaloupes are ripening, they gain water content and thus become heavier.
Avoid all cantaloupes with blemishes or cracks. While this has nothing to do with a cantaloupe's ripeness, these blemishes and cracks can act as a point of entry for mold and bacteria to enter the cantaloupe.
Normally when you wash the rind before cutting, it is capable of clearing off most mold and bacteria. This obviously doesn't work if the surface is already breached and the mold is inside and invisible.
The rinds of a ripe yellow-tan-skinned cantaloupe should have a dull and slightly rough surface. The ripe cantaloupe rind should have a muted dull appearance while an unripe cantaloupe will have a shiny lustrous sheen on its rind for a variety of reasons.
A cantaloupe that's not fully developed will have immature skin that lacks the netted webbing texture which allows the fruit to reflect more light. Additionally, the outer skin retains more water and natural waxes which further intensifies the glossy sheen.
Despite your diligence and following all the steps mentioned above, perhaps you misinterpreted or missed something. It happens, everyone needs some practice before they can truly become a ripe fruit-identifying machine.
At least it's not as bad as buying other unripe melons because you can salvage the cantaloupe and still come out of it as a winner from this whole fiasco.
If the fruit hasn't been cut, leave it on the counter at room temperature to make it a bit softer. While that won't make it any sweeter, eating raw hand cantaloupe will not be an enjoyable experience for anyone. You might just as well eat the rind instead.
If the disappointment was realized after cutting and eating the fruit, you still have some hope. Place the cut fruits in a sealed container such as a paper bag for 4 or more days in the refrigerator with ripe apples or bananas.
These fruits release ethylene gas which helps speed up the ripening process in most fruits, cantaloupe included. As mentioned above, the fruit won't become sweeter but they will be softer so it won't be like consuming rind.
There are more options than just softening up a cantaloupe and eating them raw. You can make a smoothie by blending them with some other fruits. We recommend freezing the cantaloupe and blending it by pairing it with sour fruits lemon and honey to make a fantastic sorbet.
Grill the cantaloupe! Similar to pineapple, grilling will make them even more juicier. The sugars in the melon will be caramelized and char on the grill which will result in a fantastic barbeque weekend with a smoky, tart, tender, and sweet treat.
ust remember to use the harder unripe cantaloupes for grilling before they soften up.
If neither raw, smoothie, nor grilling is your thing then unripe cantaloupes also make for fantastic pickles. Shove them in a jar filled with store-bought vinegar brine and put in the refrigerator for a few days before giving it a taste.
Although we did say they will "ripen" after leaving them for a few days, we have something of a confession to make. Except for some truly remarkable fruits such as apples, mangoes, and bananas which can continue to ripen after harvest, all melons including cantaloupes won't.
Cantaloupe sugar content doesn't increase once it's off the vine. They can only become softer which is just the first of many steps of the decaying process. Therefore, whether ripe or unripe, refrigerate all cantaloupes immediately if you aren't ready to consume them.
